Tinderbox - The Past and Future of Pakistan

“Among many recent books on Pakistan, Mr. Akbar’s stands out….A fine and detailed history of Indian Muslim anger and insecurity.”

—The Economist

In Tinderbox, India’s leading journalist delivers a fascinating narrative history of Pakistan, chronicling the conflict between Muslim and Hindu cultures in South Asia and describing the role that their relationship has played in defining both the country and the region. Editorial director of India Today and editor of the Sunday Guardian, M. J. Akbar gives readers an unprecedented look at Pakistan past and present. Panoramic in scope but specific in detail, with rich portraits of the central figures and events that have defined the nation’s history, Ackbar’s Tinderbox tells the Pakistanian story from the Middle Ages to the present, puts the Taliban and its place within modern Islam into a meaningful context, and diagnoses where the country is headed in the 21st century.

This essential work of South Asian history reveals the ideological fault lines that define the past and future of Pakistan:

The Theory of Distance: How theologian Shah Waliullah’s prescription for separation from Hindus in the wake of the Mughal Empire’s collapse laid the intellectual groundwork for a separate Muslim state. From British India to Partition: An incisive look at the endgame of colonial rule, the complicated roles of Jinnah and Gandhi, and the political choices that led to the division of the subcontinent. Jihad and Modern Conflict: A clear-eyed analysis connecting 19th-century holy wars against the British to the modern Islamist movements that challenge the Pakistani state from within. The Siege Within: An exploration of why Pakistan, created as a safe homeland for Muslims, has become a nation where Muslims are killing Muslims in sectarian strife. A Nation’s Future: A powerful diagnosis of Pakistan’s trajectory in the 21st century, examining the existential battle between Jinnah’s secular vision and the push for a theocratic state.